What should we talk about today?
The world according to Kirkey
As megalomaniacs go Vladimir Putin isn’t that special. A Bond villain appearance is the typical and very necessary façade but what exactly motivates them? In Putin’s case money alone is doubtful, since it is probable that he is the richest person on Earth with a personal fortune of circa $200 billion. To put this mind-boggling … Read more
Be curious. Prod it. Pick it up and read it. Smell it. Go there. If you are right, occasionally turn left. If it horrifies you take time out to understand it. Look beyond the headline. Just be curious. © Ian Kirke 2022 Title photograph by Justin Heap on Unsplash
Many iconic board games rely on a degree of imagination, skill, and chance, be it acting the part of a property tycoon in Monopoly, a sleuth in Cluedo or simply rolling a die and hoping you avoid a certain category in Trivial Pursuit. So where does speedway feature in this hall of fame? Has the … Read more
I love a good natter with friends. Convivial conversations are my favourite, although I equally enjoy a delicious debate where opposing views are mutually tested, and the manner of delivery of conflicting opinions is respected, even if a consensus may be unattainable. What I heartily detest is the hijacking of earnest enquiry, more often than … Read more
The Pyramids of Giza and the Taj Mahal represent the executive end of what mausoleum moolah can buy you. If you aren’t a god on earth or a favourite wife of a Mughal emperor, then I guess your ambitions need to be reassessed. Other than a brick in the wall at Meadow Lane, home of … Read more
With Nottingham being a six-hour round trip for me, at the end of the season my attendance at away matches can often outnumber those played at Meadow Lane. Yet there is always something special about wearing the black and white (or green) on foreign turf. In my opinion two things in particular are worth the … Read more
Who hasn’t heard of Banksy, the unknown artist who has turned graffiti into a desirable art form? The simple, striking sketches of rebellion that sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds. Where a spray-can effortlessly and uniquely connects the fierce foes of socialism and capitalism, society and counter-culture, pitching religion against secularism, whilst also looking … Read more
To a speedway fan a programme is as important as a baton in the hand of a conductor, a bow to a violinist or a wig to a barrister at the Old Bailey. But once the action is over where does your record of sporting endeavour end up? Does it have any residual value, especially … Read more
How often have you woken disappointed that you only recall fragments of that dream? The one that doesn’t make sense and is often framed within a bizarre fantasy. Dreams exist for several psychological reasons, including the notion that they may help us consolidate and better understand our memories, which in turn equips us to respond … Read more
If my own experiences are anything to go by funerals are usually pretty sombre occasions. I suspect the only exceptions to this general rule are when genocidal maniacs such as Hitler, Genghis Khan, and Pol Pot kick the bucket. Culture shapes what rituals are followed and how mourners should behave, with religion very often presiding … Read more